F is for fired, boetie

28 September 2011 - 02:09 By ANDILE NDLOVU
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Mark Esterhuysen
Mark Esterhuysen

The controller, producer and call screener on duty during Talk Radio 702's 1am news bulletin were all so shocked by newsreader Mark Esterhuysen's F-bombs on air that they "froze for some time".

So said Eyewitness News's editor-in-chief, Katy Katopodis.

In a newspaper report yesterday, Katopodis said Esterhuysen "managed to get about four F-words in" before being cut off, but in a 41-second clip that has been circulating on social networks, the nervous-sounding 23-year-old dropped the F-word 13 times, before being cut off by a jingle.

A heavy-breathing Esterhuysen, who had been a newsreader at the station since May, introduced himself, cleared his throat and said: "F*** racism. F*** the pigs who killed Andries Tatane. F*** the AWB. F*** racism. We are all wild animals meant to live free. F*** capitalism. F*** fascism. F*** this f***ing wage slavery graveyard s**t. F*** domestication. F*** Malema. F*** the state. F*** the petrol economic growth on a finite planet. This is the only f***ing planet we have. If you don't agree with me please see my blog ... Peace. Love. Respect. Anarchy."

Esterhuysen failed to return calls, e-mails and Facebook messages but tweeted: "No regrets about my bulletin. Don't believe what the capitalists and racists say. That's all for now."

Katopodis said: "The controller cut into the news bulletin after hastily selecting some music ... While it's not ideal that it was allowed to go on for 41 seconds, they responded as quickly as possible under the circumstances."

Esterhuysen immediately made himself new friends on Twitter, with many followers saying he "had balls", and that he was "a legend" and "a great guy".

Katopodis said Esterhuysen had been "escorted" out of the 702 building by security guards.

He had previously worked as a news presenter on Pretoria University's radio station, Tuks FM.

Esterhuysen is not the first to behave badly on radio.

Last month, Cape Town DJ Phat Joe was fined R15 000 by the Broadcasting Complaints Commission for making "unduly negative, stereotypical and abusive comments" about the mother of his child in April.

Darren Scott recently resigned from Jacaranda 94.2 and Supersport after he called a colleague a k****r.

You can listen to the broadcast from the link to the left. The audio clip contains profanity and is not for sensitive ears.

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